Sunnmørsposten

What Sunnmørsposten does

Sunnmørsposten AS is a Norwegian regional newspaper headquartered in Ålesund, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polaris Media ASA, one of Scandinavia's largest media conglomerates. The company serves the Sunnmørre/Nordvestlandet region in Møre og Romsdal county, including Ålesund, Giske municipality, Stryn, and surrounding areas, providing local news, sports (notably AaFK football), culture, business coverage, opinion content, weather and traffic updates, and obituary services. Its editorial leadership comprises an Editor-in-Chief (Sindre Halkjelsvik), News Editor (Lise Valgermo), Project Editor, Political Editor, and Development Editor, structured around Norwegian press ethics guidelines (Vær Varsom-plakaten).

The technology platform is a multi-product digital news ecosystem anchored by the smp.no website and a mobile news application. Supplementary modules include an e-paper (E-avis via sunnmoersposten.e-pages.pub), a video streaming service (tv.smp.no), branded podcasts (Sunnmørsball for sports, Sunnmørske krigshistorier for regional military history), and community utilities such as the Folk directory, Dødsannonser obituary search, Torg discussion forum, property sales database, restaurant guide, and webcam feeds. The company uses SecureDrop for anonymous tip submission and SMS-based tips, and is reachable via a centralized customer service line.

The business model combines two primary revenue streams: recurring digital subscriptions promoted through 'Bli abonnent' calls-to-action on the website and managed via minside.smp.no, plus advertising across classifieds, business ads, and job listings through annonsenweb.smp.no. Distribution is enhanced through a partnership with VG for e-avis access, and the company participates in industry frameworks as a member of Mediebedriftenes Landsforening (MBL) and under collective bargaining with Norsk Journalistlag. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed in the source material.

Name

Sunnmørsposten

Legal name

Sunnmørsposten AS

Website

https://smp.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sunnmørsposten is a Norwegian regional newspaper headquartered in Ålesund, serving the Sunnmørre/Nordvestlandet region with local news, sports, and culture via its digital platform smp.no. It operates as a subsidiary of Polaris Media ASA, monetizing through digital subscriptions and regional advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Newspaper / Local News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB)

Keywords

• Local news coverage
• Digital newspaper
• Regional journalism
• News subscription services
• Classified advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Ålesund

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Digital Subscriptions: Revenue from digital subscriptions including full website access and e-avis (digital newspaper) subscriptions. The company promotes becoming a subscriber through 'Bli abonnent' calls-to-action on their website.
2. Advertising: Revenue from business and private advertisements placed through annonsenweb.smp.no platform. The newspaper offers classified ads, business ads, and job listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sunnmørsposten is a regional Norwegian newspaper that publishes local and regional news, sports, culture, business, and opinion content for the Sunnmøre and Nordvestlandet region through its digital platform smp.no. The core offering includes a digital news website, e-avis (digital newspaper), mobile news app, and TV streaming service, with content covering Ålesund, Giske, Stryn, and surrounding municipalities. The company also sells advertising space and classified ads through its dedicated advertising platform.

Product overview

Sunnmørsposten is a regional Norwegian newspaper operating as a digital news platform with a modular product architecture. The core product is the digital news website (smp.no) providing local and regional news coverage. The offering includes supplementary digital modules: an e-newspaper (E-avis), video streaming platform (TV), a mobile news application, community services (Folk directory, Dødsannonser obituaries, Torg forum), and utility services (webcams, property sales database, restaurant guide). The company also produces branded podcasts including Sunnmørsball (sports) and Sunnmørske krigshistorier (military history). Sunnmørsposten is part of the Polaris Media media group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunnmørsposten Digital News (smp.no) Digital news platform providing local and regional news coverage for the Sunnmøre region, including news articles, sports, culture, business news, and opinion pieces. Targeted at residents of Ålesund, Giske, Stryn, and surrounding municipalities.
• E-avis Digital Newspaper Digital e-newspaper version of Sunnmørsposten accessible through the e-pages.pub platform, providing the print edition experience in digital format for subscribers.
• Sunnmørsposten Mobile News App Mobile news application for iOS and Android smartphones providing breaking news alerts, push notifications, and full access to news content for subscribers on the go.
• Sunnmørsposten TV (tv.smp.no) Video streaming platform featuring local news videos, live broadcasts, breaking news coverage, and interviews for the Sunnmøre region.
• Advertising Platform (annonsenweb.smp.no) Advertising platform for businesses and individuals to place classified ads, business advertisements, and job listings reaching the Sunnmøre regional readership. Also includes job listings at stillingsannonser.smp.no.
• Podcast Sunnmørsball Local sports podcast covering football and regional sports news in the Sunnmøre region, with a focus on AaFK football club.
• Podcast Sunnmørske Krigshistorier Podcast featuring war stories and military history from the Sunnmøre region, produced as branded cultural content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Active tipping system with 95 400 400 SMS line and SecureDrop anonymous submission system

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Polaris Media ASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunnmørsposten AS is a subsidiary of Polaris Media ASA, one of Scandinavia's largest media house and printing groups. The company is part of the consolidated transparency reporting and sustainability framework under Polaris Media's corporate governance structure. Polaris Media encompasses numerous local and regional media houses in Norway and Sweden, including printing and distribution operations.
• Mediebedriftenes Landsforening (MBL)coreOthersSunnmørsposten AS and all group media companies in Norway are members of Mediebedriftenes Landsforening (MBL), the industry's employer organization. MBL collaborates with Norsk Journalistlag (NJ), a trade union for journalists, including a freelancer agreement with minimum guidelines for freelance rates.
• Norsk JournalistlagcoreOthersNorsk Journalistlag collaborates with MBL on industry-wide issues including working conditions for journalists and freelancers. Sunnmørsposten follows collective bargaining agreements covering employment terms and freelance compensation guidelines.
• VG E-avisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for e-avis digital newspaper distribution, allowing Sunnmørsposten content to be accessed through VG's e-avis platform alongside other Norwegian newspapers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Adresseavisen: Regional newspaper serving Trondheim and Trøndelag with digital, print, and podcast offerings. Comparable regional subscription model with similar multi-channel distribution strategy covering local news, sports, and culture.
• Stavanger Aftenblad: Regional newspaper serving the Stavanger/Nord-Jæren region of Norway with both print and digital subscription models. Closely comparable to Sunnmørsposten as a subscription-based regional daily covering local news, sports, and business for a defined Norwegian geography.
• Fædrelandsvennen: Regional newspaper based in Kristiansand serving Agder county in southern Norway. Comparable as a Polaris Media sister title and as a regional subscription-based newspaper covering local news, sports, and culture for a defined Norwegian region.
• Bergens Tidende: Regional Norwegian newspaper serving the Bergen area (Vestland) with digital, print, and e-paper offerings. Directly comparable to Sunnmørsposten as a regional subscription-led news brand under Schibsted, covering local news, sports, and culture for a defined Norwegian region.
• Hallingdølen: Local newspaper serving the Hallingdal region of Norway, owned by Polaris Media. Sister title to Sunnmørsposten within the same media group and highly comparable as a small regional Norwegian subscription-led newspaper.
• Romsdals Budstikke: Local newspaper serving Molde and the Romsdal region in Møre og Romsdal county — the same county as Sunnmørsposten. Highly comparable as a Polaris Media sister title and adjacent regional newspaper covering a neighboring local market.

Broad incumbents

• Dagbladet: Major Norwegian national newspaper (tabloid) with strong digital subscription model. Comparable subscription-driven news brand competing for reader attention and digital advertising spend in the broader Norwegian media market.
• VG (Verdens Gang): Norway's largest national tabloid newspaper with broad digital reach. Comparable as a subscription-based news brand and distribution partner (VG E-avis) for Sunnmørsposten's e-paper, while also being a competitive substitute for general news consumption.
• NRK: Norway's public broadcaster offering extensive local and regional news coverage, including from the Sunnmøre region. Competes with Sunnmørsposten for local news audience attention while being free at the point of consumption.
• Amedia: Norway's largest publisher of local newspapers, owning approximately 70+ local titles across the country. Direct competitor to Polaris Media's local newspaper portfolio and the broader Norwegian regional newspaper market in which Sunnmørsposten competes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smpno
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvYHtNFP2z8Z_lu3lZ2V4NA
• Facebookfacebook.com/smpno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunnmoersposten
• Instagraminstagram.com/smpno

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sunnmørsposten